Sarah Palin‘s on the rise again, and that frightens me. She frightens me because she allows me to see the sheer power exuding from our 24/7 cable news media, taken together with the various and sundry internet political pundits, who’ve claimed equal professional status with trained and experienced political commentators who should know better.

Ever since the day after she lost the 2008 election as John McCain‘s intellectually ill-equiped running mate, she’s been fodder for the news media every day of her ensuing life. For some particular reason, everything Palin does is newsworthy. I say her “newsworthiness” is relevant only to the degree to which our political society and our society in general have become totally shallow. I would imagine if Sarah Palin looked a lot more like Sharron Angle, she wouldn’t be so newsworthy, unless it were in a pathetically comical way.

The same media who eviscerated Hillary Clinton in the worst misogynistic way follows Palin about like prurient lapdogs. The Rightwing shills revere her; Leftwing commentators’ reactions vary – from presenting her as the butt of jokes to figuring out elaborate equations which would allow her to capture a Presidential nomination without engaging in a debate; still, it doesn’t detract from the fact that they’re fascinated by her.

To a certain demographic, she’s Everywoman. For women, she’s a mother of five, who chose to raise a child with Downs’ Syndrome, rather than abort him. That makes her a heroine. For men, she dresses up in leather; because they can’t fuck her, they’ll vote for her.

I’ve said all along that she’ll run for President this time around. Now I see the media – MSNBC, no less – validate her by salivating at the prospect of a Palin challenge to the Obama second term. The media created this, just as they created the last election, making the real contest in 2008, that of a woman challenging an African American man for the Democratic nomination. Only this time, there won’t be any misogyny, and if it appears from the Left, Palin and her team will quickly exploit it to make herself the victim. She’s so adept at that.

Vice-Presidential candidates on losing tickets are normally non-entities after the fact. Palin was a rookie governor halfway into her first term when she decided to resign. The event was covered exclusively by the news media as if she were some venerable and long-serving politician of note and repute. From that moment on, her agenda should have been aware to everyone. It gave the news media ammunition to speculate, certainly; and that’s what they’ve done ever since.

She appals and fascinates simultaneously. She’s like the ultra grisly car wreck at the side of the road, the one we swear we won’t look at, but the one we’re drawn to rubberneck for sheer horror of the accident. The same media who were offended in January at her mean-mouthed “blood libel” defence in the wake of Gabby Gifford’s shooting are marvelling now at her dog-and-pony magical mystery bus tour winding along the roads of Middle America sowing seeds of political resentment and anger amongst a demographic, whom – forty years ago – the Democratic party claimed for their own.

If anything, she’s this generation’s equivalent of George Wallace, winding her way into small towns, rural areas and working-class suburbs of major cities, reminding her eager audiences of how they have America’s heartbeat and how anyone reeking of elitism long ago abandoned their values to the netherlands of inconsequence.

She’s a side show, a carnival barker, a hoyden of ignorance who’s also skillful at subtlely reminding people of equal ignorance what differentiates between their real America and the Europhiliacs of coastal elitism, without offering any tangible solutions to these people’s real problems. She doesn’t offer jobs to counter their unemployment; she can’t stop the bailiffs from foreclosing on their family home, but – dang nabbit – she makes them feel good!

She promises them that this President is only enjoying a temporary tenure, and that relief is just around the corner if we can just get him out of a White House in which he was never entitled to live, anyway.

And the media hang on her every word.

They’re spoiling for a confrontation next year, the wet dream of an Obama-Palin confrontation on the campaign trail – the dark-skinned “other”, the spineless college professor against the mean girl, the red-leathered lady who can say and do anything she wants, because no “real man” would punch down on a girl. And if he did, could we really expect anything from a political demographic whose mouthpieces regularly refer to women as “sluts?”

This media made Palin. They made her as decisively as the faux Professional Left sought from January 21, 2009, to drive a wedge in the Democratic Party with their false prophets constantly criticizing, undermining and inflaming the far Left into the Queen Mother of all hissy fits.

The last words uttered by Palin at the end of the upcoming documentary about her rise is the challenge to our President of “game on,” shrieked in an appearance last month in Wisconsin in support of Governor Scott Walker, where she was flanked by no less than Andrew Breitbart. The last words on the screen remind viewers that already Palin can see November 2012.

Two months ago, Rachel Maddow correctly predicted that the 2012 election won’t be fought over the economy, but over abortion; and the prospect of a Palin candidacy, especially if she should choose such a running mate as Herman Cain, will be an all-our culture war of race-baiting, Islamophobia and Dominionism – a battle for the soul of America.

Remember that when Fascism comes to America, it will come draped in an American flag and carrying a cross.

Have you noticed the size of the cross pendant Palin wears around her neck?

17 Responses so far.

I know everyone thinks the Republican nomination is in disarray but like usual the fix is in because Republicans don’t vote for their nominees they anoint the next in line. Romney will be the nominee the only difference this time is that Republicans because of the Tea Party will eviscerate him. Republicans always pick who they think will have the best chance of winning in the general and because Romney has the name recognition, money and the issue is the economy they will throw up a little in their collective mouths and nominate him.

BTW IMHO the election is going to be fought over the economy just like 2010 with the Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! bull shit the GOP got elected on and then they will forget totally about a jobs agenda and just focus on winning the next election like they always do.

I would love for someone in the crowd to ask her
“Sarah, is this how you reload?”

What ever happened to -- Being a celebrity is suspect and fame is not American?

Don’t all Americans ride around in a luxury tour bus
that gets 4 miles to the gallon of diesel on the highway and less in the city?
Who is paying for that bus?
How much does that bus cost?
Check out the cost of one of those babies.http://staleycoach.com/48866.htm

I watched a little of the coverage of SP at the Rolling Thunder rally. The purpose of the rally was to draw attention to MIAs and veteran’s care. But SP and the media she supposedly loathes took away the veteran’s message and turned it into, Hey, look at ME! She should be ashamed of herself, but I just don’t think shame is an emotion that she is capable of feeling.
What made things even worse, were the Vietnam vets drooling and praising her. At least the ones that the MSM showed. Truly barf making.

My take is Palin dislikes, if not actively hates, the President because he won. Ms. Palin doesn’t take a loss well, or a criticism. This in itself can or should aid to her impending downfall.

No one can take on the grit of a Presidential run without splinters and many will get caught in her leather jacket as she is forced, yes forced, to answer questions.

My concern is our fellow countrywo(men, many of whom don’t remember what the US really stands for and what the constitution states, will vote for her shucks in ignorance. Americans by and large have lost their way.

With Obama we might find it. With Palin we’ll be doomed.

Bill Moyers was on the radio yesterday, a discussion entitled, Honouring Howard Zinn (Alternative Radio).

Marion, I agree with almost everything except for your assertion that Palin will run. I don’t think she will because once she does, her power will be gone. Right now, she can be a bit of a kingmaker. She can avoid real questions, she can make more money teasing than she would be able to as a “serious” candidate--just exactly like Trump. She would be fired by Fox--as have all the other declared candidates. Now, she may put together an “exploratory committee” but that is just another money-making scam. No, I am convinced she will never give all that up to run--although I’d be pleased if she did for the obvious reasons.

As for the so-called press, among other things I have come to the conclusion that above all they are lazy. Covering Palin requires no thinking, no policy analysis or political calculating--they can merely follow her around and jeer (if on the Left) or regurgitate her BS (if on the Right). The media is no more mature or thoughtful than any other percentage of the general population, and act accordingly. Further, even my favorite journalist--like Maddow or O’Donnell are, at the end of the day, primarily entertainers (as we have all discussed before). Last night, I heard Maddow fantasize about her deepest wish: a Palin interview. And I see why. Pure ratings. No enlightenment or information would come freom that interview; no real journalism. But--according to Maddow-- it would be “FUN”!

I am getting sick to death of the talking heads who say “Oooh--pass the popcorn!” as if politics were entertainment; a game. For those of us in the real world, politics have life and death consequences and until the media takes their jobs more seriously than carnival barkers, we will suffer from their idea of “fun.”

But see, jkk, we already know Palin is an idiot. And Rachel could massacre her if she wanted but so what? At the end of the day it wouldn’t matter because there is no way to “expose” Palin since everybody already knows she’s an idiot. And her followers don’t care. Indeed, they glorify her idiocy--that’s one of her most appealing facets to them. But I do want her to continue to be the face of the GOP! She only has about a 20% approval rating among all voters and if voters see her as the GOP, it’s golden for the Dems.

As usual, the Republican party is building up their next candidate by following her around and taking snapshots while she behaves all cute and folksy (to their point of view), as she continues to ignore the real problems that plague us: over-population and ideological extremism. What is Palin prepared to do to fix those problems?

I would put my money on this all being a Trumpesque ploy by Palin for attention and to boost her prominence but she won’t actually be running.

As to the profound issues we need to be dealing with, including those you mentioned, climate change, education, immigration, etc., the irony is that in an election year, the horse race of the election dominates everything else and so little that’s meaningful gets done.

So, the process of democracy has now become one of the main obstacles to that democracy functioning.

Palin has worried me for a long time, too, Marion. Although I am heartened to see that her polling numbers are not all that good.

For about a year now I’ve been thinking that she might run on a third party ticket. She’s so unmanageable that it seems to be the only way she could do it. She simply has to run the show.

I think her downfall may be her visceral and genuinely irrational hostility toward the President. I don’t know what it is about this man that sets her off --possibly the fact that he’s able to see right through her charm and bluster to the mean, ignorant, manipulative woman underneath — but for her, it’s personal. Maybe on some lizard-brain level she knows that this is one guy she would never, ever be able to weasel or seduce into doing her bidding. In short, Barack Obama is Palin-proof. That makes her mad.

So, being that angry, sooner or later she will really make a gaff — bigger than any of her previous ones — or maybe a series of them, that will cinch her unelectability (if that’s a word). You’re right. She is something of a George Wallace in drag. And after she really screws up, only Wallace fans will still vote for her. Let’s hope there aren’t too many of those types still around. In America, nothing would surprise me, though.

The good thing is, however, that she will split the RW vote if she runs.

Thanks so much, b’ito. A great read. It took real courage for Frank Bailey to recognize that he’d been misled and exploited. I appreciated his assessment of her after he woke up, in which he stated she was:

“…not only ill-suited to head a political party or occupy national office, but would lead to a disaster of, well, biblical proportions.”